Abstract

Effective leadership taps into people's core values and ensures everyone is striving toward the same goal. The Motives, Values, and Preferences Inventory (MVPI) is used to identify four values clusters, each of which produce an explicit managerial character. The four approaches offer a framework for understanding how management character directly influences work group productivity and commitment. Studies indicate that the most effective leaders are those whose values are most like those of the organization. In the absence of shared values the leader-follower relationship deteriorates. A sidebar article discusses the 10-point Motives, Values, and Preferences Inventory, a psychological inventory used for managerial selection and development.